


The Seventh June

by quillghost



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bellamione Cult Ilvermorny Cup, Bellatrix is a goldfish, Discord: Bellamione Cult, F/F, Fluff, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-28 00:42:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20055241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quillghost/pseuds/quillghost
Summary: In a small seaside town in June, Hermione Granger wins a goldfish at a festival.





	The Seventh June

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EllaOfFrell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaOfFrell/gifts).

> This idea was born in the discord by my favorite person and piled on by a bunch of other creative geniuses. This is largely credited to them. Thank you Vega for all your help with this and thank you Era for keeping me motivated.

_Oh come, my little darling, do you feel my cool breath?_

_Do you feel my arms around you so warm and so wet?_

_Swept from my feet, she pulled me beneath_

_And in the wild rushes, I went to my death_

_One_

Every June a festival pops up in Southwold, on a street three blocks away from the Granger’s house. Hermione Granger is thirteen years old the first time her father takes a Friday off to walk her there. June this year is hot and dry, the sun bright and vibrant just the way she likes it. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, and Hermione happily spends the entire time playing every game and eating cotton candy until she’s sick.

She’s always loved the summer. She loves spending the day in the sun and coming home to find new freckles on her face and shoulders, or new stands of gold in her typically mousy brown hair. Today she’s sure to find plenty more gifts from the sun, if the stinging sunburn gracing her shoulders is anything to go by.

“Come on, ‘Mione, I think we’ve seen everything. Let’s get home now so we’re not late for dinner,” her dad says.

Hermione tugs on his arm, setting her sights on the one booth she hasn’t visited yet, “One more, one more!” She begs.

John sighs, never one for disappointing his daughter, “Fine, fine, one more,”

Hermione squeals and runs towards the booth, where a bushy haired woman with large round glasses stands behind a counter. Hermione stops a few feet away. Her strategy for these games is always to spend some time observing the other kids playing, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

This game involves tossing rings at bottles filled with different colors of liquid. Most of the younger kids throw the rings blindly, but the longer she watches the more she sees the successful method of the older kids. They flick their wrists and sent the ring twisting horizontally, occasionally catching on the lip of the bottle.

Hermione approaches the booth and the woman blinks down at her, “Hello, dear,” she looks at Hermione’s father, “It’s 4 pounds for 5 rings,”

John shifts the several stuffed animals Hermione’s won to his left hand so he can fish out his wallet. He hands the money over and looks sternly down at his daughter, “This is the last of my cash so make it count, dear,”

Hermione nods, a determined glint in her eyes. The woman hands her five plastic rings and steps out of her way, perching on a stool. Hermione takes a deep breath and practices the motion she observed with her hand a few times before picking up the first ring.

She misses the first four tries. The sun has set and the other children have abandoned the booth, leaving her in quiet to concentrate. She takes a deep breath and picks up the last ring.

“Make this one and you walk away with a prize!” The woman calls.

Hermione gives her a short nod, focusing all her attention on the bottle all the way in the back, filled with black liquid. The world falls away as she concentrates every ounce of her focus on it.

She flicks her wrist and it hurtles forward, catching the lip. The bottle sways in its spot, nearly tilting over the edge of the table, before swinging back around and settling with the ring around it.

“Yes!” Hermione jumps up and down excitedly. Her dad gives her a congratulatory smack on the back.

“Wow, you got the trickiest one!” The woman behind the booth says, rising from her stool. She shuffles around under the table and walks up to Hermione, holding something behind her back. Hermione shifts her weight impatiently from foot to foot.

“This is a very special prize,” the woman says. Hermione huffs. The lady didn’t do this with any of the other winners.

“You seem like a responsible young lady,” she continues, “so I want you to promise me you’ll take good care of it,”

Hermione nods exuberantly. The woman reveals her prize at last, holding it before her. It’s a golf ball sized black fish in a plastic bag filled with water, swimming in frantic circles. Hermione’s eyes widen, and John groans.

“Honey, no, we’ve talked about this. You already have Crookshanks, you don’t need another pet,”

Hermione looks at her dad with eyes that have already filled with tears, “Dad, please? I won it,”

“Crooks will kill it,” John protests.

“We’ll keep it in the pond out back!” Hermione looks back at the woman, “Can it live in a pond?”

“Oh, yes,” the woman says, “I think you’ll find her to be quite durable,”

John gives the woman an exasperated look before glancing back down at his pleading daughter, “Fine, but you are telling your mother and you are solely responsible for it,”

“Her,” Hermione corrects, a grin spreading across her face. She throws her arms around her dad wriggling with joy, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,”

“Okay, okay,” John laughs, “But now we really have to leave so we can get fish food at the market on the way home,”

Hermione takes her prize, cupping one hand beneath the bag to keep it nice and steady. She holds it up to her face and smiles.

“I’m going to take very good care of you. The very best,” she whispers.

John turns and starts walking towards the exit, “Better catch up before I leave you behind!”

Hermione turns to follow him, but a hand on her shoulder stops her. She whips back around and her eyes widen when she looks at the face of the woman who just handed her the prize. Her eyes are white and wide, her mouth agape. A hoarse groan is emanating from her. Then she speaks in a voice much rougher and lower than the way she spoke before.

“The dark temptress will perish if she does not learn to love selflessly before the comet passes Orion in the seventh June. Each new moon she may walk free, so long as she remains close to her victor. If she strays she will perish. If she is not loved in return she will perish. If she does not love truly she will perish. If she is loved and loves in return, she may choose to return to the sea or walk the earth as a mortal,”

The woman’s eyes return to normal and she blinks at Hermione with bewilderment. She releases her shoulder and the girl stumbles away.

“I’m sorry, dear. Did I say something?”

* * *

Hermione does her best to brush off the strange encounter, not wanting to let it tarnish her perfect day. She spends the weekend dressing up the pond and watching the fish swim in her new home. Hermione’s happy her mother picked the house with a large yard, the lush garden and trees concealing Hermione from the house when she lays by the pond. In the next few days it becomes her favorite spot to spend time at, her own private sanctuary to sit and read until the sun sets over the horizon. 

After some research and a lot of squinting at the fish’s tiny features, the best guess Hermione has for what kind of fish it is a Black Moor Goldfish. Only the eyes aren’t quite as pronounced as the ones she sees in the book she rented from the library, it’s the only fish that bares a close resemblance.

One day she brings a new book out and decides to read out loud, wondering if the fish will react at all to her voice. She’s afraid she’s lonely in the big pond all by herself.

“‘She dived deeply under the dark waters, rising and falling with the waves, till at length she managed to reach the young prince, who was fast losing the power of swimming in that stormy sea. His limbs were failing him, his beautiful eyes were closed, and he would have died had not the little mermaid come to his assistance. She held his head above the water, and let the waves drift them where they would,’” Hermione recites.

Hermione’s mom thought it would be funny to bring home a copy of The Little Mermaid once she saw how enamored her daughter was with her fish. The fish swims closer when she hears Hermione’s voice, swimming back and forth along the edge of the pond closest to where the girl is lying. Hermione sighs.

“Isn’t it romantic? Do you wish you had a prince to rescue?” She asks her, not really expecting an answer.

The fish darts to the other side of the pond and Hermione laughs. “Okay, no prince for you,”

Hermione only just notices the sun has set when she feels a cold breeze ghost across her shoulders. It’s so bright she hardly noticed, and when she looks up she sees a huge full moon glimmering down at her.

A splashing noise makes her look back down in time to see the fish jumping out of the water over and over. She bounces across the water and swims quickly in circles.

“What is it?” Hermione asks, her stomach tying itself in knots. She wonders if there’s such a thing as a fish vet.

The fish dives, disappearing into the murky depths. Hermione squints at the water, then shoves herself away from the edge when she sees the surface start to bubble and lap at the edges. Her eyes bulge as a pale figure rises from the depths up to her waist with wet, curly black hair covering her breasts. Her pointed ears poke out from the wet hair and her eyes are inhumanely black. The woman glowers at Hermione with those eyes that glimmer in the light of the moon.

Hermione scrambles away from the edge, eyes darting over the woman in the water with disbelief. She lunges at her, pale, toned arms grasping the edge of the pond and lifting herself halfway out of the water. Black yet luminescent scales end in a jagged point beneath her sternum, and climb up her back and over her shoulders. Three angry gashes stretch across her ribs on either side, trembling with each heaving breath she takes. Her nails are pointed and black, her sneer revealing sharp teeth and her ears pointed and tipped with more black scales.

"Come here, brat," she snarls, digging her nails into the earth.

"N-no way," Hermione stutters.

The woman slips back into the water until Hermione can only see her eyes above the surface. She feels frozen in place, unable to decide if the woman was something to fear.

“W-Who are you?” Hermione stutters as she stares back at the odd woman, taking her in.

The woman's face twists with irritation before it smooths abruptly, a sickly sweet smile replacing the sneer. She hums low in her throat, the sound reverberating through the air and wrapping around Hermione. She's surrounded by the low, melodic noise, and she feels a tugging low in her stomach towards the creature.

“Me?” The humming fills Hermione’s ears till she feels like she’s drowning and suffocating in the sound. “I am the hidden dangers of the seas, the shadow in the water just out of sight. I am a fallen star from the heavens above, and a dream of man's last sights,”

Hermione is so terrified and enthralled by the woman's melodic tune that she hardly notices as the figure creeps closer to the edge of the pond, pale arms reaching over the edge ever slowly towards her.

“My name is Bellatrix Black, siren of the seas,”

Her hands curl into fists and she resists the impulse until the woman's black eyes capture her own. They shimmer and draw her in, and Hermione's mind goes blank. She crawls forward on her hands and knees and the woman's smile grows. She reaches out and grabs Hermione's shirt, pushing off the edge of the pond and dragging the girl down into the murky water.

Hermione can't see her anymore but she can feel her arms around her, feel the smooth slick scales sliding against her skin. The entrancing humming voice continues beneath the surface of the water holding her steady in its grasp. It takes fifteen seconds before Hermione tries to open her mouth and water floods her lungs, snapping her out of the spell.

She stiffens and the arms around her tighten. Hermione struggles, fire spreading in her chest as the water invades her. The woman's chest rumbles with a low growl. Hermione's survival instincts kick in and she recalls the self defense lessons her mother gave her. She slips a hand between their bodies and jams the heel of her palm up in the direction of her face. The humming stops and the arms loosen, and Hermione begins kicking until she finds purchase and manages to shove herself away. She breaks the surface of the water and claws at the edge of the pond.

A hand wraps around her ankle and she feels the bite of nails. She kicks again, the nails sliding against her skin and cutting through it. She hears a grunt behind her as her heel connects with the woman's face.

Hermione scrambles away again, and this time when she runs she doesn't look back.

She tells her mom she fell in the pond.

That night, Hermione dreams of the time she swam in the ocean for the first time. Her parents got her up early and they packed up the car to take her out to the beach, where they’d spend the day. Hermione was eager to go in the water, her father holding her hand as they waded out into the depths.

She doesn’t quite remember how everything happened after that. Her parents don’t like to talk about it and Hermione doesn’t like to think about it anyway, but sometimes she dreams of it. The dreams always have a frightening, bizarre quality to them, and she tells herself she’s misremembering.

Somehow she was separated from her father and swept up in a current. She was pulled under the waves, and every time she started to swim up another wave pushed her down further. Then, just as she started to lose consciousness, two warm arms wrapped around her and together they surged to the surface. She remembers being engulfed by a mass of darkness, like seaweed but softer, then she was breaking the surface. Her father swam out to where she’d been swept and retrieved her as she vomited the water she swallowed. Her parents cried and cried, and all Hermione could think about was the fact that she lost the gold ring her grandmother gave to her before she died.

Hermione wakes from the dream gasping for air and clutching at her throat. She’s never been able to go back into the ocean, and when the woman dragged her into the pond she felt a humiliating rush of terror.

She clutches her sheets and calms her breathing. She rolls over so she can see the full moon glimmering in the sky, and she wonders if her fish is still a woman.

* * *

Hermione ventures out again early the next morning, her curiosity overpowering her fear. There is no evil woman lounging in the pond as she feared, and upon closer inspection she finds the unassuming fish swimming languidly as if the night before hadn’t happened at all. 

Hermione lowers herself cautiously to the edge and presses two plastic ear plugs into her canals. She clears her throat and the fish seems to notice her, swimming near her before circling to the opposite end. Hermione presses her fingers against her sore, bandaged ankle to remind herself that what happened was real, then the water is rippling again and the strange woman is back.

The black scales catch the morning light, glimmering gold. She swims a lazy circle, much less threatening than before. Hermione glimpses her back and sees five thin, foot long spiny dorsal fins traveling down the center of her back, looking sharp to the touch. Scales travel up her spine and over her shoulders, the faint outline of tones muscles visible beneath them. Hermione trembles with fear and wonder, and the woman comes to the edge again, folding her arms on the edge and resting her chin on them. She glowers at Hermione but no sound falls from her lips.

"Are you going to try to kill me again?" Hermione asks.

The woman flinches, and Hermione blushes when she realizes how loud she's probably being. She tentatively removes one ear plug, but reminds herself to stay ready if a single note pierces the air.

"No, I won't try to kill you again. For now anyway,"

"Why would you?" Hermione asks, scowling. She presses down on her wound harder, forcing herself not to think about how beautiful she is.

"I will not lower myself to being some child's pet fish," she says, nose wrinkling at the idea.

"Didn't you hear what the woman at the booth said? If you're...cursed, you need me to break it. I won you. I'm the victor,"

"If I need to learn to love and be loved to break the curse then I'm already damned,"

Hermione frowns, her sympathetic nature nudging her an inch forward, "That's not true. Anyone can love, and everyone is deserving of love,"

The woman gives her a disbelieving scoff, "I tried to kill you yesterday. And that's hardly the worst thing I've done,"

“What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Hermione asks impulsively, not knowing if she really wants to know the answer.

“I can’t go scaring off my little victor now can I?” Bellatrix says, a smirk on her full lips.

“Who says you can scare me off? You don’t know what I can handle,” Hermione retorts.

“I am not the harmless, naive little mermaid from your book, desperate for a prince. The real thing is much scarier, little girl,” Bellatrix says, “ Men come with their nets and their rubbish, sullying sacred waters with their arrogance. My sisters and I pick them off one by one in the night, and used their bodies to nourish the ocean. I don’t rescue men stranded on rocks. _I _strand them. I drag them from shore,”

Hermione swallows her fear. Bellatrix’s eyes flit over her, the corner of her mouth twitching like she can smell her rising anxiety.

“If you promise not to kill me, I promise to break your curse,” Hermione finds herself saying.

Bellatrix’s eyebrows twitch and her smirk falls away, “Why would you want to break it after what I just told you?”

“If I break it, you won’t go back to killing,” Hermione says, “Love will change you,”

Bellatrix throws her head back and cackles. Hermione glances nervously behind her, worried her parents would hear, then looks back to frown at Bellatrix.

“Okay, pet, it’s a deal,” Bellatrix says, her voice an octave lighter, “If _you _want to try to break my curse, I promise I won’t kill you,”

_Love can redeem anyone, _Hermione thinks, _And she came to me for a reason._

Hermione crawls forward until she’s within arms reach. She sits crosslegged in front of Bellatrix and holds out her fist with her pink finger sticking out.

“Pinky promise me,” Hermione says, "And my _name _is Hermione Granger, not _pet," _

Bellatrix tilts her head up and Hermione searches her eyes for a shred of color but finding nothing but an endless black void beneath heavy lidded eyes. The woman looks at her outstretched hand blankly.

“What is a pinky promise?” She asks dryly.

“It’s a sacred, unbreakable vow,” Hermione explains sagely, “You can’t break it. Link your finger with mine and swear,”

Bellatrix rolls her eyes but does as she’s asked, linking their pinkies together.

“I swear I won’t try to kill you again,” Bellatrix says.

“I promise to do my best to break your curse,” Hermione says, giving their joined hands a little shake.

* * *

Hermione spends every evening at the pond with her fish. She discovers that Bella can change whenever she wants, though she prefers to do it at night under the cloak of darkness. She starts getting a second portion of dinner and asking her parents if she can eat it outside, which they think is odd at first, but they’re just happy to see her doing such a great job caring for the fish.

Crooks takes to joining her in the garden. The orange cat bats at the fish one time before Bellatrix transforms and hisses at him. Crooks never tries again after that. He likes to lay next to Hermione in the sun while she sits cross legged at the edge and gets to know her.

The first time Bellatrix eats a real meal she grudgingly explains that while she doesn’t have to eat to survive, the hunger still remains. Hermione makes a silent vow to never let Bellatrix go hungry again.

When the evening of the new moon comes, Hermione decides she should broach the subject of the prophecy the woman at the festival proclaimed. Bellatrix is working on the last bite of steak with her eyes screwed shut in pleasure when Hermione clears her throat.

“So, Bellatrix, once the sun sets, there’s something that might happen,” Hermione says.

Bellatrix swallows and opens her eyes. Hermione shifts under the gaze, still not able to feel completely comfortable under the mermaid’s consuming eyes.

“The woman who gave you to me at the fair, could you hear what she said to me?” Hermione asks.

Bellatrix swims closer, the water lapping over the edge at the disturbance. Hermione taps her fingers nervously where the rest on her thighs.

"Bits and pieces," Bellatrix says.

“She said…she said on the night of the full moon you’d be able to…walk free,”

Bellatrix moves forward and places her hands on either side of Hermione, pulling herself out of the water enough so she’s eye level.

“What does that mean, walk free?” Bellatrix asks, dark eyes wide. This close, Hermione notices details she hadn’t before. Each individual scale catches the light in the most beautiful way, but her eyes and hair are so black that not a shred of color exists, any light touching it absorbed. Hermione’s eyes travel up the length of the body before her, to a heavy silver locket that hangs in the center of her chest with some kind of crest on it. 

“I think she meant you’d, I don’t know, grow legs and be able to…walk. But she said you have to stay close to your victor, and I…won you, so…”

Bellatrix glowers at her. Hermione shifts back, trying to put some space between them, “I-I’m just repeating what was said to me,”

Bellatrix glances behind her at the sun disappearing over the horizon, and Hermione catches a glimpse of the spikes fins climbing halfway up her back before Bellatrix whips back around to face her.

“So, anyway, in case it’s true, I brought you some clothes and I thought we could go take a walk around town, maybe walk down to the beach,”

Bellatrix gulps and something like hope glimmers in her eyes. Hermione smiles at her right as the sun disappears behind the horizon and bathes them in cool evening light. The water trembles around the woman and Bellatrix looks down at herself in shock. Then she looks back at Hermione once again before she disappears under the surface.

Hermione crawls forward and peers into the murky water, looking for a sign of life. After a few torturous seconds of stillness, Bellatrix comes shooting out of the water. She shoves the girl back and climbs out on slender, beautiful, trembling limbs. Hermione stares in shock at Bellatrix’s shimmering, human and completely naked body and feels her face burn with embarrassment and maybe a bit of jealousy. Bellatrix flops back on her bottom and takes in the sight of her legs, running her hands up and down the length of her thighs.

As soon as Hermione realizes she’s staring, she slaps a hand over her eyes and feels blindly for her bag. She fumbles around in it before she finds the floral sundress that she snuck out of her mom’s closet and tosses it in Bellatrix’s general direction.

“What are you doing?” Bellatrix’s light, wonderstruck voice says.

“If-if you want to walk around with me you have to wear clothes,”

She hears Bellatrix scoff, “And this is what you chose for me?”

“I-I didn’t have a lot of options,”

Bellatrix sighs and she hears some shuffling, then senses her proximity a moment later.

“Open your eyes,” she says, “You shy little baby,”

Hermione moves her hand to complain about being called a baby, but the words die in her throat when she sees Bellatrix crouching in front of her. The sun dress is tight over her breasts, but other than that it fits her perfectly, and the pastel blue with the floral patter softens Bellatrix’s typically harsh features.

“You look nice,” Hermione says not able to stop the smile from blooming on her face. She stands up and Bellatrix follows her with her eyes but makes no move to stand, “Come on, let’s go. My parents will want me back before it gets too late,”

Bellatrix bites her lip and avoids her eyes. Hermione puts two and two together once she realizes Bellatrix is embarrasses.

“Oh…you don’t know how to walk, do you?”

Bellatrix glares at her, “I…I’m sure I can. If you humans can do it it can’t be hard,”

Hermione grabs her elbow and tries to tug her up but Bellatrix jerks away from her. Hermione steps away but stays within arms reach as she watches Bellatrix stand slowly on trembling legs. She looks like a baby deer, uncertain and unbalanced, and before Hermione can laugh she lurches forward and throws her arms around Hermione to steady herself. Heat rises to her cheeks immediately at the contact, Bellatrix’s soft arms holding her close.

Bellatrix is frozen for a moment before she turns back and glowers down at her like it’s her fault she doesn’t know how to stand. Bellatrix moves away, looking nervously down at her feet and when Hermione grabs her elbows to steady her, this time she doesn’t move away.

Hermione steps back and pulls Bellatrix a step forward with her. Bellatrix’s eyes are wide as she watches her feet move forward one step, then another, until Hermione is letting her go and she’s doing it on her own. Then she stands tall with her hands on her hips and smirks down at her.

“Not hard at all,” Bellatrix says.

Hermione grins and pulls a pair of sandals from her bag, “Good. Let's go then,”

Hermione leads Bellatrix through the bushes and they walk the four blocks to the beach, Bellatrix feigning confidence the entire way. She stumbles every few feet but Hermione pretends not to notice. They turn a corner and the rocky beach is laid out before them, the sound of rushing waves and the smell of saltwater washes over her and she shuts her eyes to breathe it in.

When she opens them, Bellatrix is ten feet away, running clumsily towards the water. She shrieks when her feet hit the lapping waves and Hermione sprints after her.

“Bellatrix! You can’t go too far!” Hermione calls, but the ocean swallows her voice.

She reaches the water but stops when it hits her ankles. Bellatrix is in up to her waist but Hermione is hit with a paralyzing fear just with it lapping at her ankles.

“Bellatrix, come back here!” Hermione yells.

Bellatrix ignores her, stretching out her arms and caressing the surface with her fingertips. Hermione is trembling but she’s afraid if Bellatrix goes any further she’ll violate the curse and die. So, the girl grits her teeth and takes one step forward. The waves rush in and splash up her calves. Hermione takes a deep breath and anchors her eyes to Bellatrix’s back, taking a few steps closer. Her feet leave the ground with each rushing wave and her heart thunders in her ears. Then, she reaches Bellatrix and all the noise fades away.

She links their arms together and Bellatrix turns to face her. The look on her face makes Hermione’s breath catch; all she sees is pure, unadulterated joy. Her eyes are bright and she’s smiling so hard she can see dimples and rows of shining white teeth. The corners of her eyes crinkle and she squeezed Hermione’s arm.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Hermione blinks rapidly at Bellatrix’s face, while her entire body shook like a leaf. She clings to the woman’s arm as the waves push at her. Once Bellatrix realizes she’s afraid, her expression softens and she turns to her. Hermione’s lower lip trembles and Bellatrix pulls her close, steadying her against the moving water.

Hermione trembles against her and Bellatrix squeezes her as if to quell her.

“I-I’m a little bit afraid of the ocean,” she says against Bellatrix’s collarbone.

Bellatrix stills and pulls back a fraction to give her an odd look.

“What?” Hermione mumbles, refusing to loosen her grip on Bellatrix’s waist.

“Nothing,” Bellatrix murmurs, “Let’s get you back to shore,”

* * *

_Two_

Despite Bellatrix’s constant complaining that Hermione would blow their cover someday, the secret makes it a year without discovery. Hermione’s usual excitement about school is watered down with the disappointment that comes with having less time to spend with the mermaid.

Bellatrix wears a black bikini top Hermione got for her now, tired of Hermione hardly ever being able to look at her directly without blushing. It’s something she’s never quite understood about humans, but Hermione is the only one she’s around now and she might as well feel comfortable around her. Hermione initially suggested actual clamshells, and Bellatrix had to fight the urge to throttle her.

Hermione does homework by the pond every day, and she starts to hear the worry in her parent’s voices when they ask her if she has any plans with friends today. The truth is that she still hasn’t made any friends. No one but her is as interested in earning good marks, and she regularly gets laughed at for her enthusiasm. Even the other students that share her opinions about school seem to want to keep their distance from her. Her parents have suggested extracurricular activities, but that would mean even more time away from Bella.

She is very used to the mocking looks people give her when she gets excited about a topic. Bellatrix is very good at pretending not to care but Hermione has been around her enough to recognize the glimmer in her eyes when she talks about her day. And maybe it isn’t fair for Hermione to let Bellatrix’s only entertainment be her, but it feels so nice to have someone care about what she has to say.

During the winter she got in the habit of taking Bellatrix inside in a large glass bowl and setting her down near the TV in her room. Bellatrix demanded that be done nightly, so now it’s apart of their routine. It’s how she overhears her parents talking to her about school one night before bed. Once they leave, Bellatrix starts swimming in frantic circles, which Hermione knew meant she wanted to change. She throws back her covers with a sigh and carries the bowl to the bathroom.

Bellatrix continues to swim quickly while Hermione runs the bathwater. “Relax, just wait a second,” Hermione whispers.

When it’s half full, Hermione tips the bowl forward and Bellatrix’s tiny form darts into the water, transforming as soon as she’s out. No matter how many times she witnesses it, it never fails to amaze her to watch the little fish unfurl into the prettiest girl she’s ever seen. Bellatrix sneers at her and yanks her forward by the front of her T shirt.

“You didn’t tell me you don’t have any friends,” Bellatrix says, her breath making Hermione shiver.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know,” Hermione says, “I’m only ever at school or with you,”

Bellatrix scowls and releases her, sending her falling back on her ass, “You need friends other than me, Granger,”

Hermione stares down at her lap, not wanting to tell her that she doesn’t have friends because no one likes her. She can feel Bellatrix’s eyes on her and she knows she’s not going to drop it.

“Your parents are right,” Bellatrix says, turning the faucet off before it can spill over the edge, “You need to join an after school club or something,”

Hermione pouts, but she knows Bellatrix well enough now to know she won’t let this go.

“I like being around you,” Hermione says. She looks back up at Bellatrix, who is trying to make herself look comfortable in the clawfoot tub, “How can I make friends and have a normal life when I have a mermaid waiting for me at home,”

Bellatrix’s head lulls back so she’s looking at the ceiling, “We’ve been through this, little one. I am not a mermaid, I am a siren, a fallen goddess of the sea. You have no idea the power I once possessed before I fell into the clutches of an annoying child,”

“Yeah, but you’re still a mermaid,” Hermione says, knowing better than to take Bellatrix’s half-hearted insults personally.

“I have drowned men three times your size, insolent girl,” Bellatrix threatens, “You will do as I say,”

“And what is it you’d like me to do, oh great and terrible goddess of the sea?”

Bellatrix is quiet for a moment, before she tilts her head in her direction to give her a devious smile.

“Join the swim team,” Bellatrix says.

* * *

Hermione hates the idea at first, but Bellatrix is relentless. She promises to train her herself and the thought of Bellatrix with her every step of the way quells her fears. And she does like the idea of conquering her childhood trauma. The swim team at Hogwarts is good, but it could be better. 

They start in her parent’s pool when they aren’t home to catch them. Bellatrix prefers the pool to the pond but she probably wouldn’t survive in her fish form if Hermione ever left her there. The lessons are a great way for Bellatrix to stretch out and get her blood pumping again, and she seems to be enjoying beating Hermione into shape more than she should be.

It lasts a week before Bellatrix convinces her the ocean is the best place to practice. Hermione is terrified, but Bellatrix promises that nothing can happen to her as long as she’s near. Hermione trusts her, despite her instinctual aversion to the ocean. She doesn’t want to be ruled by it anymore. If she makes friends, she wants to be able to go to the beach and have fun with them.

They sneak out at night, after her parents have gone to bed and most of Southwold would be off the beaches. Bellatrix lets Hermione cling to her side while she paddles them out past the whitewater, out to calmer waters. Hermione’s heart thunders in her ears as she looks around at the murky waters, thinking about how easy it would be for a shark to sneak up on her and take a bite out of one of her legs.

She clings to Bellatrix’s shoulders, not wanting to put any space between them. Her one piece suit isn’t nearly enough to protect her from the icy water, and Bellatrix’s cool body wasn’t helping either.

“Relax, pet” Bellatrix says, more at ease in the ocean, “Nothing will harm you with me here,”

Hermione focused on Bella’s pale, smiling face in the moonlight and lets go, treading the water on her own.

“I’ll swim beside you, thirty strokes, alright?” Bellatrix says. Her voice is melodic now, lacking its usual edge. Hermione wonders if this is the tone she uses to lure men to their deaths.

“Just count to thirty,” Bellatrix says.

Hermione forces herself to nod, and with Bella looking at her expectantly she plunges forward in a frantic breaststroke. She can feel Bellatrix beside her, keeping up effortlessly, even if she can’t see her. She counts in her head and focuses on nothing but that and the sensation of Bellatrix close beside her.

She’s at nineteen when she feels something grab at her ankle.

She opens her mouth to scream just as she’s yanked under, filling her lungs with saltwater. Her eyes bulge and she panics, struggling and kicking against whatever has her. _Was Bellatrix messing with her?_ She wonders frantically, the heat of betrayal spreading in her chest.

She feels the struggle beneath her, unable to see anything even with her eyes open in the grey salted water. The grip loosens and she begins kicking to the surface when she feels a pair of arms slide around her waist before the water whips past her, darting towards the surface at a speed only Bellatrix is capable of.

Once she breaks the surface she sputters and coughs up the water she swallowed, rubbing her burning eyes. Bellatrix’s arms are crushing around her waist, but her throat is too sore for her to complain.

“What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid little brat?” Bellatrix hisses.

For a moment Hermione thinks she’s talking to her before another voice answers.

“I was just screwing with your little pet, here. Where the hell have you been, Bella? Mother has been worried sick,”

“She’s not yours to screw with,” Bellatrix says.

Hermione’s vision clears and she focuses on the boy in front of her. He’s blonde, scrawny and young. He couldn’t be much older than her, but the sneer on his face reminds her instantly of the bullies at school. It’s not Bellatrix’s sneer, the one she found genuinely terrifying when they first met, but the expression of a spoiled brat who doesn’t appreciate being scolded.

“Since when do you give a shit about humans? Last I checked you hated them more than any of us,”

“This human is _mine_,” Bellatrix says, her voice threateningly dark in a way she’s never directed at Hermione before. Something she doesn’t understand twists inside of her at the word "mine".

“You sound an awful lot like Andromeda sounded,” the boy says, and Bellatrix stiffens against her, “And we all know how that turned out,”

“Run back to your mother and tell her I’m fine,” Bellatrix says. Hermione looks at her, studies her gentle, angry profile glimmering in the low light. Bellatrix glances down at her, a fierce expression on her face, “And never come near her again,”

She hears the boy’s noise of disgust, and she looks back in time to see his silver tail catch the moonlight as he leaves them alone.

* * *

Once Hermione has changed and is wrapped up in a towel with Bellatrix back in the clawfoot tub, she finally starts to feel warm again. She brought her pillow and a blanket with her to the bathroom, and she’s curled up by the tub and staring at the ceiling. She can hardly tell Bellatrix is there with her at all with how quiet she’s being, hardly making any noise in a tub full of water. 

“Do you ever get cold?” Hermione asks, finally breaking their silence. Her voice is raw and it still hurts to breathe.

“Not really,” Bellatrix says quietly.

“You’re always cool,” Hermione says carefully, “Not cold, but never warm,”

“You shouldn’t talk so much,” Bellatrix says.

“You talk, then,” Hermione says, her voice breaking with the effort, “Tell me…who that boy was. Tell me who you are,”

Bellatrix sighs, “That boy is my nephew, Draco. He’s your age, actually. His mother is Narcissa, my sister. I haven’t seen her in a long time,”

“Who is Andromeda?” Hermione asks, the common theme in names occurring to her.

Bellatrix is quiet, and Hermione thinks about the way she stiffened at the name. Bellatrix has told her next to nothing about herself since they met a year ago, and she expects her to continue that theme now. But Bellatrix is always surprising her.

“My other sister. She…it’s been even longer since I’ve seen her,”

There’s an odd tone to her voice, something between pain and anger. Hermione waits, hoping she’ll say more. After a minute, the words come.

“She chose love over family, and it killed her. She died because she trusted a human. A man,”

“Is that what you think I’ll do to you?” Hermione asks, “You think trusting me will cause you to die?”

“I think it’s a lot to ask of a 14 year old to keep a secret like this. And if the rest of the world finds out about me, they’ll tear me apart,”

Hermione sits up, the towel falling from her shoulders and her wet hair falling around her shoulders, “I would never let that happen to you, Bella,”

Bellatrix studies her seriously, in a way that makes the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders feel heavier.

“You’re safe with me,” Hermione promises.

Bellatrix nods shortly, in a way that makes Hermione feel dismissed rather than believed. She’s understands suddenly, horribly, what will happen if Bellatrix is found out, what exactly the humans would do to her. They would cut her open, experiment on her, dissect her in a barbaric effort to understand the secrets her body holds. Hermione’s stomach churns at the thought, and she decides she will just have to prove to Bellatrix that she can trust her. Hermione would find a way to break the curse and return her to her home.

* * *

_Three_

Despite the events the previous summer, Hermione still joins the swim team. She doesn’t return to the ocean again, only practicing in the pool until she gets in good enough shape to make the team. Bellatrix trains her well, and she’s good enough to measure up against Harry Potter, the team captain, Ginny, Ron, Cormac and Dean. In fact, she’d say she’s level with Ginny Weasley and right behind Harry.

Everyone was shocked when she tried out but her time spoke for itself. Having a third swimmer on the team capable of edging out the competition is enough to push them from good to great, and Bellatrix’s constant desire to be in a space bigger than the pond keeps pushing her to be better and faster.

It also means she’s made something resembling friends. Harry, Ron and Ginny certainly put up with her and she gets the obligatory invites to their after-meet parties, though she never feels like the invitations are genuine. She sits them out most of the time, never feeling comfortable at the Weasley’s house with the other team members drinking their concoction of cream soda and hard cider they deemed butterbeer. She’d much rather go home and tell Bella about how the match went and watch her try to hide her tiny prideful smile.

It’s a relief when June rolls around again and the pressures of classwork fades in the hot light of the summer. The new moon comes on a Friday night and Bellatrix has started looking forward to them. She’s a natural on legs at this point, the transition coming easier and easier each month.

The theater is having a one night showing of The Little Mermaid, and the stars have aligned so it’s showing on the new moon. Hermione does not take no for an answer, telling Bella the rest of the night is hers if she goes to the movies with her. She doesn’t tell her what it’s about, but Bellatrix groans when Hermione asks the ticket seller, “Two for The Little Mermaid at 8, please,”

Southwold has always had a thing for mermaids, and the theater is packed. They end up sitting next to Luna Lovegood, who’s sitting by herself with a bucket full of caramel popcorn.

“Hello, Hermione,” Luna says without sparing her a glance, “I didn’t expect to see you here,”

Hermione glances nervously at Bellatrix, before casting a glance around the theater to see if there’s any other place to sit. These are the last two spots next to each other, so Hermione sighs and sits down next to Luna.

“Who’s your friend?” Luna asks, crunching loudly on her popcorn.

Hermione glances at Bellatrix, who’s holding a bucket of their own popcorn with a box of candy tucked under her arm and a lost expression on her face. She’s staring nervously at the screen in front of them, and when Hermione looks back at Luna she sees her regarding Bellatrix curiously.

“She’s…a family friend,” Hermione says lamely.

Luckily Luna is not the type to pry, so she just hums and sits back in her seat. Then, the screen lights up and the previews start, making Bellatrix jolt in surprise. Hermione snickers but Bellatrix is too distracted by the biggest screen she’s ever seen to notice.

Hermione settles back and plucks the candy off of Bella’s lap, tearing it open for them. The pre-show starts, and the screen roaring to life makes Bellatrix jump so hard she spills some of the popcorn. Hermione laughs and Bellatrix glares.

“Here,” the girl says, passing Bellatrix a few pieces of chocolate, “eat it with a piece of popcorn,”

Bellatrix tries it with a suspicious glint in her eyes, as if Hermione is sabotaging her somehow, and her eyes widen for a moment when she tries it, before her expression flattens.

“It’s alright,” Bellatrix says.

Hermione only gets three bites of popcorn before Bellatrix finishes it off. She goes stiff halfway through the movie. Hermione studies her for any kind of reaction, but she goes oddly still, her expression frozen and her eyes far away, like she’s thinking about something else. She doesn’t crack a smile at any of the cheesy jokes, and Hermione feels her stomach sink with disappointment.

When it’s over, Bellatrix stands and hurries out of the theater, not sparing Hermione a glance as she tries to push through the crowd. When she finally makes it out of the theater she scans the dispersing crowd until she spots the dark figure leaning against the side of the building, bathed in the neon light of the theater sign.

She touches Bella’s arm and sees the grim look on her face.

“What is it?” Hermione asks, her anxiety creeping into her voice.

Bellatrix shakes her head, and in the red light she could’ve sworn she saw them shimmer.

“Tell me, please?” Hermione asks, quietly, pleadingly.

Bellatrix looks as her then, down her nose at Hermione’s shorter form. The look sends a chill running down the sound girl’s spine but she refuses to look away, wanting nothing more than to know everything about Bellatrix that the woman would allow.

“I didn’t like seeing it play out like some great romance…” Bellatrix begins, jaw working, “a girl who doesn’t know any better running off with a boy she hardly knows. Turning her back on her family,”

Bellatrix stops and looks away from her. Hermione reaches for her shoulder but Bellatrix jerks it away.

“Do you want to go home?” Hermione asks.

Bellatrix nods, “Yes, I think that would be for the best,”

Home is a twenty minute walk from the theater, and when they reach it all the lights are off except for the porch. On the way, Hermione sends her parents a text on her way home letting them know she was almost there and not to wait up for her. Bellatrix hesitates on the front steps, but Hermione grabs her hand and tugs her into the house.

Hermione turns her music on at a low volume to prevent them from hearing Bellatrix’s voice. Hermione changes in the bathroom and returns to the bedroom to find her laying on the bed and staring at her glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. Hermione sits on the bed next to her and stares at Bellatrix until she meets her eyes.

Bellatrix rolls her eyes and pats the spot next to her. Hermione smiles and settles down next to her, joining her in staring at the plastic stars.

“I’m sorry the movie made you sad,” Hermione says.

Bellatrix sighs “I’m sorry I ruined your night. I know how excited you were,”

Hermione turns her head to study her profile, “_You’re_ sorry?”

Bellatrix shoves her shoulder and Hermione tumbles off the side of the bed. She lands with an indignant squeak, and Bellatrix stifles a laugh with her hand. Hermione pokes her head over the edge of the bed to watch her trying to smother the sounds.

“I didn’t mean to push you that hard. Why were you on the edge like that?” Bellatrix chokes out.

Hermione sits on the edge of the bed and pouts at her, “I didn’t know if it was okay to get too close,”

Bellatrix rolls her eyes and wraps her cool fingers around her wrist, yanking her forward. Hermione crashes painfully against her, enveloped by her smell and trapped by her arm wrapping around the back of her neck.

“Don’t worry about that,” Bellatrix says.

Hermione’s face grows hot, the contrast obvious against the cool skin of Bellatrix’s neck.

“I’m sorry I ruined our new moon,” Hermione says, against her skin.

Bellatrix chuckles and drags a hand through her hair, sharp pinpricks erupting along her scalp as the tangles snag her fingers.

“It’s not ruined,” Bellatrix says, “The plot may have been terrible, but the songs weren’t half bad,”

A smile tugs at Hermione’s lips.

“And I would know,” Bellatrix continues, “My voice has lured many men off their paths,”

Hermione pulls away to look down at her, skin bright in the moonlight, “I remember," 

Bellatrix smiles, “Would you like to hear it again?" 

Hermione nods quickly. Then, Bellatrix's lips part and the sweetest sounds Hermione’s ever heard come trickling out.

_“Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you say my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you say I’m the girl, the girl who has everything,”_

Hermione’s eyes widen, her world seeming to tug in Bellatrix’s direction at the sound. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thinks she should find this funny, but her voice is too alluring for her to find any humor in the words. Bellatrix’s smile fades and she looks incredibly serious despite the words she’s singing. Bellatrix’s voice is high, sweet, innocent. Hermione wants nothing more than to be closer to the sound.

_“Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around here you think, ‘sure, she’s got everything,’”_

Hermione settles back down next to her and Bellatrix pulls her against her again. The girl sighs, something inside her quelling at the proximity. Bellatrix continues to sing softly until Hermione drifts to sleep, never more at peace than she was in that moment. Bellatrix stares at the ceiling and tries not to think about how her voice was the last thing countless men heard before she dragged them to the depths to drown.

This girl is different.

**Author's Note:**

> Trashy: Happy birthday, I love you!  
Everyone else: Join the discord here: https://discord.gg/tSJDjEk  
Lyrics at the beginning are from Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes by The Decemberists.


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